Bernard Arnault

By Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters.

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Bio

Bernard Arnault is one of the richest men in France, but he’s also one of the most influential luxury tastemakers in the world. His luxury goods company, L.V.M.H., houses France’s most lucrative and famous brands, including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, and Dom Pérignon. He’s also known for his meticulousness. “He’s more than impatient, he’s obsessive,” his wife, Canadian concert pianist Hélène Mercier, told The Wall Street Journal in 2009. “Everything has to be perfect. But sometimes that means that he’ll obsess about the little things. Like if a painting is too low, he’ll tell you 10 times that the painting is too low and I’m like, ‘Let’s move on’. He doesn’t know half-measures. And he hates to lose.”

Arnault graduated from École Polytechnique in 1971 with a degree in engineering and joined his father’s civil-engineering firm. He helped convince the elder Arnault to sell the construction division of the company, and focus the business on real estate. Within a few years, he became C.E.O., proving his business prowess, and eventually succeeded his father as the company’s president. Eventually Arnault moved into luxury goods, buying flailing company Boussac, which owned Christian Dior and Le Bon Marché department store. In 1989, he became the majority shareholder of L.V.M.H., helping profit rise year-over-year with its growing portfolio of luxury brands.

Arnault has made investments outside of L.VMH as well; he invested in Netflix back in 1999, purchased Princess Yachts in 2008, and is a known art collector, owning pieces from Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Yves Klein.